Device for forming oar-blades and the like.



I M. A. STRAND.

DEVICE FOR FORMING OAB BLADES AND THE LIKE.

APPLICATION FILED AUG. 6, 1907.

925246. Patented June 15, 1909. a sums-sum 1.

- i p ,2 Q I .1

UNTTED STATE$ -PA TENT FFTQ.

MARTIN A. STRAND, OF MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA.

DEVICE FOR FORMING OAR-BLADES AND THE LIKE.

To (LZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, MARTIN A. STRAND, a citizen of the United States, residing at Minneapolis, in the county of Hennepin and State of Minnesota. have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Devices for Forming Oar-Blades and the Like; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

ltly'invention has for its especial object to provide an improved device for use in connection with a shaper for forming the blades of oars, but is capable of more general use for forming other thin or blade like wooden bodies, such, for instance, as skis.

To the above ends, the invention consists of the novel devices and combinations of devices hereinafter described and defined in the claims.

The invention illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein like characters indicate like parts throughout the several. news.

teferring to the drawings, Figure 1 is a plan view, showing my improved former as designed for use in making oars, applied in working position, some parts being broken away. Fig. 2 is a transverse vertical section taken on the line of m of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a transverse vertical section taken approximately on the line .r or of Fig. 1. Fig. i is a plan view of the former, removed from working position, and with the ear removed therefrom. Fig. 5 is an edge ele 'ation of the parts shown in Fig. 4. Fig. (5 is a plan view of the so-called primary spacing plate of the former Fig. (i is an edge elevation of the same. Fig. 7 is a plan view of the so-called secondary spacing plate of the former and Figs. 8, S) and 10 are sectional views taken, respectively, on the lines of cc a1 and 00 ro of Fig. 7. v

Of the parts of the shapcr, the numeral 1 indicates the horizontal table, the numeral 2 the power-driven upright spindle 0r cutter shaft, and the numeral 3 the knives or cutters which are secured to and carried by the upper end of said shaft in the usual or any suitable way. The under or cutting edges of these knives, it will be noted by reference to Figs. 2 and 3. are curved upward toward their outer ends, the exact line Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed August 5, 1907.

Patented June 15, 1909.

Serial No. 387,058.

thereof being determined by the form which is to be given to the ear or other wooden body which is to be formed. The table 1 is designated as a horizontal table, and the shaft 2 as an upright shaft for the purposes of convenience in description, but it will, of course, be understood that so far as my in vention is concerned the said table might be set obliquely or in a vertical position and the shaft arranged for proper cooperation therewith, although the arrangement shown in the drawings and described is preferable.

The numeral at indicates the blade and the numeral 5 the shank or stem of the oar.

The numeral 6 indicates the body plate or so-called guide board of the former. The intermediate portions of the edges of this guide board ,6 are incut and formed on curved or otherwise irregular lines, inclicated at 7, 7 and 7 hen the device is designed to control the formation of the blade of an oar, these guide surfaces should be bi-symmetrical or reversely formed on opposite edges of the said guide board, as shown in Figs. 1 and 4.

Before the ear is applied to the former, its shank should be turned, at least in part, and the edges of its blade should be sawed or cut to the desired outline. When the oar that is partially formed is applied to the former, as shown in Fig. 1, its then thick blade-and a portion of its shank will. closely fit between the reversely formed inner edges of the retaining strips 8. that are secured to the upper surface of the guide board 6 by any suitable means, but as shown by means of screws 9. These retaining strips 8 hold the blade of the oar against transverse edgewise movement with respect to the guide board 6. The stem or shank of the oar may be conveniently held against the underlying end of the board 6 by a turn button 10 which, as

shown, is intermediately pivoted to a raised block 11' on said guide board. The end of the blade is preferably held down by a clamp 12 that is slidably mounted between the end portions 8'" of the retaining strips 8 and is provided with one or more sharp brads 13 that are adapted to enter the end of the said oar blade. A wedge 14 mounted for endwise movements in the contracted portions 8 of the'retaining strips 8 is adapted to adjustably hold the sliding clamp 12 against the end of the ear blade.

The blade of the car before it is applied to the former will be cut with a taper in a direction from its stem 5 toward the end of the blade, and to hold the blade with its upper face .in proper position for initial cutting by the knives 3 a comparatively thin tapered so-called primary spacing plate 15 is provided (see particularly Figs. 5 and 6). This spacing plate 15 is adapted. to loosely tit the recess formed between the intermediate portions of the retaining strips 8, and at one end it is cut away, as shown at 15, to

afford clearance for the projecting end of the clamp 12.

The upper exposed face of the unfinished oar blade is cut first from one side and then from the other by the rotating knives 3, and the action of the knives on the blade is controlled by the guide surface 7, the latter being held in engagement with an enlarged collar or shoulder portion 2' of the shaft 2, while the guide plate is moved endwise upon the table 1. Of course, two cuts are required to finish each face of the ear blade, and the guide surface 7 at the one side of the guide board is first moved against the shaft collar 2 and then the other or opposite guide surface is moved against the said collar.

When the one face of the ear blade has been finished or given desired form by the knives under the action above described, the oar and the primary spacing plate 15 are removed from the former and a so-called secondary spacing plate 16 is placed in the recess formed between the retaining plates 8. This secondary spacing plate 16 has a slightly channeled upper face of varying cross section, as indicated in Figs. 8, 9 and 10, so that it will fit the first completed or formet. face of the oar blade and thus position the oar so that its other face will be cut to proper form by the knives 3 under the repetition of the cutting action above described, the oar, of course, being again first secured in position shown in Fig. 1. This secondary spacing plate 16 is provided at one end with a notch 16 that will clear the projecting end of the clamp 12. In outline, the spacing plate 16 is approximately the same as the spacing plate 15, so that it will loosely but closely lit between the retaining plates 8. These retaining plates, it will be noted, at their outer edges are formed to correspond to the guide surfaces 7, 7 7 of the guide board 6.

From what has been said it is thought to be evident that the depth to which the knives 8 will cut into the oar blade is regulated by an approach and recession of the oar blade with respect to the axis of the shaft 2, and

that such approach and recession of the oar blade is positively controlled by the guide surfaces '7, 7, 7 The extreme curved portions 7-. of the said guide surfaces simply serve to so move the guide board that the ear blade will be carried entirely out of the zone of action of the rotating knives. From the above staten'ient it of course follows that by providing the guide board or former with the proper guide surfaces a great many different forms may be given to the wooden strip upon which the knives cut.

The collar 2 on the shaft 2 affords a relatively stationary guide for cooperation with the guide surfaces, '7, 7, T" of the so-called guide board, but any other relatively stationary partof the shaper, such as a pin in the table 1, might serve this purpose, though not as well as the said collar 2 The socalled guide board may, of course, take various forms and while preferably, is not neces sarily made of wood.

In actual practice the device above described has been found highly efficient for the purposes had in view, and by its use very great economy in the making of oars and skees have been accomplished.

lVhat I claim is:

1. A device for use in forming oar blades and the like, comprising a guide board or body, having a tapered seat to receive the oar, and provided at its opposite edges with curved guide surfaces, adapted to engage a relatively stationary part to control the action of a rotary cutter on the oar being formed, and which guide surfaces diverge in a direction reverse from the said tapered seat, and are bi-symmetrical in form.

2. A device for use in forming oar blades and the like, comprising a guide board or body, having a tapered seat to receive the ear, and provided at its opposite edges with curved guide surfaces, adapted to engage a relatively stationary part to control the action of a rotary cutter on the oar being formed, and which guide surfaces diverge in a direction reverse from the said tapered seat, and are bi-symmetrieal in form, in combination with tapered primary and secondary spacing plates, the former of which is flat, and the latter of which is grooved to fit. a finished face of the oar blade.

In testimony whereof I aiiix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

MARTIN A. STRAND.

Witnesses H. D. Kineonu, F. D. MERCHANT. 

